TY - JOUR T1 - The Mechanism of Oxidative Hemolysis Produced by Phenylhydrazine JF - Molecular Pharmacology JO - Mol Pharmacol SP - 832 LP - 839 VL - 13 IS - 5 AU - B. GOLDBERG AU - A. STERN Y1 - 1977/09/01 UR - http://molpharm.aspetjournals.org/content/13/5/832.abstract N2 - Superoxide anion was found to be unimportant in phenylhydrazine-induced hemolysis and destruction of oxyhemoglobin. Phenyldiazene, presumably produced via the 2-electron oxidation of phenylhydrazine by oxyhemoglobin, was found to hemolyze red cells rapidly and convert oxyhemoglobin into methemoglobin, hemichromes, and other hemoglobin breakdown products. Phenyldiazene-induced hemolysis requires the presence of molecular oxygen, although superoxide anion, a known product of the reaction of phenyldiazene with oxygen, was demonstrated not to be the active hemolytic agent. The hemolysis produced in the presence of phenyldiazene and oxygen is related to lipid peroxidation in the red cell membrane. Benzenediazonium ion and benzene, oxidation products of phenylhydrazine, were not found to be hemolytic when compared with equimolar quantities of phenyldiazene. It is concluded that the active hemolytic agent produced from phenylhydrazine in red cells is a phenyldiazene-derived free radical produced by the reaction of phenyldiazene with oxygen, and is most probably the phenyl free radical. ER -